The commandment to "love one another" that we are trying to obey as part of Love 40 days is important. So important that in Mark 12:31, Jesus states that, together with the commandment to love God: "no other commandment is greater than these." In case we missed it in the Gospels, Paul later repeats this in Galatians 5:14: "For the whole law can be summed up in this one command: Love your neighbor as yourself."
In Luke 10:27, in response to Jesus' questions about the Law of Moses, the expert in religious law replies that part of the law tells us to "love your neighbour as yourself." In response to the expert's next question to Jesus, we read the well-known story of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10:30-37.
Jesus is obviously telling us that the term "neighbour" includes everyone. We already know this. But do we live it?
"Neighbour" includes our annoying boss, our best friend, the group of school kids on the bus using inappropriate and offensive language at high volume, the other driver who just cut us up for no reason, the lovely old lady who lives across the street, the person whose sexuality we haven't quite figured out or can't quite understand, the vocal atheist who belittles and ridicules our faith to get a rise out of us, the rough sleeper with obvious material needs. The person who makes you smile most in the world and the person who cuts you the deepest without even noticing they have done it.
The story of the Good Samaritan is so well-known, that we often let it pass us by without thinking of the effect that it might have had on those listening to it for the first time - the effect that the very word "Samaritan" would have had on them. For us, the word will mainly have associations with this story and the kindness of the gentleman described. For the Jews listening to Jesus, not so much. We have already talked a little about Jesus' challenge to love our enemies - or frenemies - back at Day 7 - but it is worth considering what Jesus is trying to tell us about loving others from this story...
As you read the story today, why don't you replace the word Samaritan with the word of a type of person or people group that you find it particularly difficult to love? You may or may not have these people on your list of forty names - it doesn't really matter - you can love them anyway! We know that as followers of Jesus we don't want any prejudice or judgement to affect our loving - so let's take time today to pray that God will continue to widen our hearts and expand our territory of loving to continue to change us and change others for His glory.
For the kids:
Read the story of the Good Samaritan together, either from Luke 10:25-37 or from a Bible story book. Talk together about how Jesus wants us to include all sorts of people in our loving. Pray again for any people who they find it difficult to love for any reason. Talk about how Jesus has placed them where they are - in their street, their school, their classes etc. - because He needs them to love the people in their world. Thank Jesus for this special mission and ask for His help to complete it!
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